No power struggle with DMK over functioning of Universities, says Tamil Nadu Governor's office

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan on Wednesday said there was no power struggle between the Governor’s office and the DMK dispensation over the functioning of higher educational institutions in the state. The Raj Bhavan also termed as “entirely erroneous and mischievous” media reports over the Governor convening a conference of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of universities in the state.

The meeting comes weeks after the Governor was stripped of the powers of appointment of VCs following the Supreme Court verdict that the bills readopted by the state Assembly, which were forwarded to the President, were deemed as having received assent.

R N Ravi has invited Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar to address the Vice-Chancellors during the two-day conference in Nilgiris beginning April 25.

The governor has convened the conference in his capacity as the Chancellor of 18 state-funded universities, which hasn’t changed despite the new laws coming in force as they have only transferred the power of appointing and removing VCs from the governor to the government.

The Raj Bhavan said annual conferences of leaders of higher educational institutions are carefully planned and organised in April every year since 2022 by the Governor in which eminent leaders of academia and industries participate and share their ideas and experiences with leaders of our higher educational institutions.

Preparations for each year's conference begins several months in advance, and meetings with the Vice-Chancellors and eminent experts of academia and industries are held to design the structure of the conference.

“This year too, the preparations for the conference began in January itself. Several meetings were held to make it more productive,” the statement said, adding that it is unfortunate media reports have wrongly linked it with the recent Supreme Court judgment and tried to project it as a power struggle between the Raj Bhavan and the state Government.

“These are scandalous and far from the truth,” the statement added.

The meeting also comes a week after Chief Minister M K Stalin, for the first time, held a meeting with VCs and Registrars of state-funded universities. Despite losing powers to appoint VCs, as Chancellor, the governor can call for and examine records of any university officer or authority, modify their decisions, or even annul them.